Adding new elements to your census improvement strategy can help your senior living community attract great new residents .
Here are a few easy, yet effective lead generation tactics to help you continue to receive referrals and also enroll new residents any time of the year.
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- Host an event
- Create a referral reward program
- Create a survey
HOST AN EVENT
Creating an event for current and potential residents is a great way to encourage engagement with your brand and boost current resident morale at the same time! Offer them a singles night or taco party where your residents can mingle in event spaces or outdoor areas they may not have explored before.
Hosting an event shows your residents you care and engages your social media and email leads, too. To reach more people, promote this event through your community’s website, social channels, newsletter and blog. Hosting events may convince friends of friends of residents to join your community based on all of the fun they’re having now.
CREATE A REFERRAL REWARD PROGRAM
Put your current residents or referral sources in a position to easily refer new leads and promote your brand through a referral reward program. New potential residents value and trust recommendations from their friends or family members, so encourage existing residents to spread the word about your community. Referral reward programs can be short or long-term and are wildly effective.
Creating a referral reward program is not only a fantastic way to gain new residents, but can also increase participation in your community events. The more people participate, the more they are willing to participate – then it will just become second nature.
Offer an incentive to your residents to invite a friend, such as free coffee on Tuesdays, to encourage current residents to recruit new residents on your behalf. Think of what types of initiatives make the most sense for your assisted living facility. While it is unlikely these new leads will instantly become new residents, they will be excellent candidates for social media ambassadors or they may be able to refer their friends to your community even if they’ve already chosen another community.
Don’t forget your cross-referral relationships. Introduce new incentives for communities to refer their leads to you. There may be times when a resident is not a good fit for one community and may benefit from enrolling in another one (independent care vs. memory care vs. assisted living and so on). The best incentive for another community to send referrals is when you refer a potential resident to them! Work on your cross-referral relationships to support each other in census growth.
CREATE A SURVEY
Creating a business development strategy around a new referral program or in-person event presents exciting opportunities for your senior living community to learn more about potential future residents. When obtaining information from referred leads, make sure to ask them questions about themselves. Asking questions helps you gain information to keep them coming back for more. Here are a few ways to throw short, effective assessments into your business development strategy:
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- Create polls or offer a suggestion box at your next event or class
- Add questionnaires at the end of movie nights to see what movies residents would like to see in the future (sneak in a question about amenities, etc.)
- Add brief survey questions to your email or newsletter blasts to learn more about your leads and loyal residents
- Create a survey that invites your leads to self-qualify their need for a great senior living community by identifying their biggest challenges or pains
With your goals in mind, ask questions that will lead you to information that supports follow-up conversations with potential residents. Over time you can show how you’ve changed your business development strategy and produced new opportunities for residents to be their best selves. Back up your changes with testimonials about how your current residents and potential residents prefer them. These changes also demonstrate to your residents that you’re listening. You are building a positive reputation that supports effective lead generation and boosts customer loyalty at the same time.
Remember to always collect an email address! Email addresses provide the opportunity to stay connected to potential residents through email campaigns and newsletter blasts. Your leads can stay connected to the events and content you produce until they are ready to join your community. Send your content through email and social media to keep your brand top-of-mind as an amazing senior living facility.
Looking for more advice on developing a strong business development strategy? Schedule a conversation to see how we can help.
